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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 433 records · Page 24

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2008

GRC Supporting Technology for NASA's Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG)

From 1999 to 2006, the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) supported a NASA project to develop a high-efficiency, nominal 110-We Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG110) for potential use on NASA missions. Lockheed Martin was selected as the System Integration Contractor for the SRG110, under contract to the Department of Energy (DOE). The potential applications included deep space missions, and Mars rovers. The project was redirected in 2006 to make use of the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) that was being developed by Sunpower, Inc. under contract to GRC, which would reduce the mass of the generator and increase the power output. This change would approximately double the specific power and result in the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). The SRG110 supporting technology effort at GRC was replanned to support the integration of the Sunpower convertor and the ASRG. This paper describes the ASRG supporting technology effort at GRC and provides details of the contributions in some of the key areas. The GRC tasks include convertor extended-operation testing in air and in thermal vacuum environments, heater head life assessment, materials studies, permanent magnet characterization and aging tests, structural dynamics testing, electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility characterization, evaluation of organic materials, reliability studies, and analysis to support controller development.

Schreiber, Jeffrey G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Amphibious Airplane

The airplane pictured is the new Air Shark I, a four-place amphibian that makes extensive use of composite materials and cruises at close to 200 miles per hour under power from a 200-horsepower engine. Air Shark I is a "homebuilt" airplane, assembled from a kit of parts and components furnished by Freedom Master Corporation, Satellite Beach, Florida. The airplane incorporates considerable NASA technology and its construction benefited from research assistance provided by Kennedy Space Center (KSC) In designing the Shark, company president Arthur M. Lueck was able to draw on NASA's aeronautical technology bank through KSC's computerized "recon" library. As a result of his work at KSC, the wing of the Air Shark I is a new airfoil developed by Langley Research Center for light aircraft. In addition, Lueck opted for NASA-developed "winglets," vertical extensions of the wing that reduce drag by smoothing air turbulence at the wingtips. The NASA technology bank also contributed to the hull design. Lueck is considering application of NASA laminar flow technology-means of smoothing the airflow over wing and fuselage-to later models for further improvement of the Shark's aerodynamic efficiency. A materials engineer, Lueck employed his own expertise in designing and selecting the materials for the composite segments, which include all structural members, exposed surfaces and many control components. The materials are fiber reinforced plastics, or FRP They offer a high strength-to-weight ratio, with a nominal strength rating about one and a half times that of structural steel. They provide other advantages: the materials can be easily molded into finished shapes without expensive tooling or machining, and they are highly corrosion resistant. The first homebuilt to be offered by Freedom Master, Air Shark I completed air and water testing in mid-1985 and the company launched production of kits.

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NASA NTRS1988

Glass Artworks

Several NASA technologies have played part in growth and cost containment of studio glass art, among them a foam type insulation developed to meet a need for lightweight material that would reduce flame spread in aircraft fire. Foam comes in several forms and is widely used by glass artists, chiefly as an insulator for the various types of ovens used in glass working. Another Spinoff is alumina crucibles to contain molten glass. Before alumina crucibles were used, glass tanks were made of firebrick which tended to erode under high temperatures and cause impurities; this not only improved quality but made the process more cost effective. One more NASA technology that found its way into glass art working is a material known as graphite board, a special form of graphite originally developed for rocket motor applications. This graphite is used to exact compound angles and creates molds for poured glass artworks of dramatic design.

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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) Program - Recent and Upcoming Technology Demonstrations and Development Efforts

The Small Spacecraft Technology program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, expands the ability to execute unique missions through rapid development and demonstration of capabilities for small spacecraft applicable to exploration, science, and the commercial space sector. Through targeted development and frequent in space testing, the program: • Enables execution of missions at much lower cost than previously possible • Substantially reduces the time required for development of spacecraft • Enables new mission architectures through the use of small spacecraft • Expands the reach of small spacecraft to new destinations and challenging new environments • Enables the augmentation of existing assets and future missions with supporting small spacecraft. The program achieves its objectives through: • Identification and investment in the development of new subsystem technologies to enhance or expand the capabilities of small spacecraft • Sponsorship of flight demonstrations of new technologies, capabilities and applications for small spacecraft • Promotion of the use of small spacecraft as platforms for testing and demonstrating technologies and capabilities that might have more general applications in larger-scale spacecraft and systems Program-funded projects may be executed at academic institutions, in the private sector, at NASA Centers, as public-private partnerships, or cooperative agreements.

SST↗

NASA NTRS1995

NASA Advanced Refrigerator/Freezer Technology Development Project Overview

NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) has recently initiated a three-year project to develop the advanced refrigerator/freezer (R/F) technologies needed to support future life and biomedical sciences space experiments. Refrigerator/freezer laboratory equipment, most of which needs to be developed, is enabling to about 75 percent of the planned space station life and biomedical science experiments. These experiments will require five different classes of equipment; three storage freezers operating at -20 C, -70 C and less than 183 C, a -70 C freeze-dryer, and a cryogenic (less than 183 C) quick/snap freezer. This project is in response to a survey of cooling system technologies, performed by a team of NASA scientists and engineers. The team found that the technologies, required for future R/F systems to support life and biomedical sciences spaceflight experiments, do not exist at an adequate state of development and concluded that a program to develop the advanced R/F technologies is needed. Limitations on spaceflight system size, mass, and power consumption present a significant challenge in developing these systems. This paper presents some background and a description of the Advanced R/F Technology Development Project, project approach and schedule, general description of the R/F systems, and a review of the major R/F equipment requirements.

Cairelli, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Space benefits: The secondary application of aerospace technology in other sectors of the economy

A benefits briefing notebook is presented for the NASA Technology Utilization Office in which 515 applications of NASA aerospace technology to other sections of the economy are described. An overview of technology transfer is given. Benefit cases are cited in 19 categories along with pertinent information, such as communication link, DRI transfer example file, and individual case number. General, organization, geographic, and field center indexes are provided.

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DOE OSTI2018

Radioisotope Power Systems: Considerations for use of Dynamic versus Static Conversion Technologies for NASA Missions

For more than five decades, Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) have played a critical role in the exploration of space, enabling missions of scientific discovery to destinations across the solar system by providing electrical power to explore remote, challenging and extreme environments. In particular, RPS enable deep space missions where increased heliocentric distances reduce the ability of solar power to adequately meet spacecraft and instruments power requirements. Some previous notable missions that were enabled by RPS include Nimbus III, the Apollo Sur-face Experiments, the Pioneers 10 and 11, the Viking Mars Landers, Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini, New Horizons and Curiosity. The current operating set of missions that are enabled by RPS are Voyagers 1 and 2, Cassini, New Hori-zons, and Curiosity. The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermal Generator (MMRTG) is the current RPS used for mis-sions. An enhanced version of this generator outfitted with higher efficiency thermoelectrics is under development for potential use in the future. There are also current development efforts underway by NASA to explore dynamic power conversion systems such as Brayton and Stirling. This paper will compare and contrast the pros and cons of a generalized dynamic system with the current state-of-the-art thermoelectric static conversion system. The reason for this paper is to calmly analyze the pros and cons so that all the pertinent factors are placed under the same examination light with equal brightness. As with any purchase made the “newness” of certain items sometimes overrides a needed desire to fully vet all characteristics of the merchandise so that the best choice is made. The following areas will be specifically examined and discussed as they may impact the choice of radioisotope power system for a specific mission: • Projected power output to weight ratio (We/kg) • Amount of Pu-238 required per a fixed power output • Excess heat available to be rejected or used • Fueling operations during assembly by the Department of Energy (DOE) • Planetary protection protocol during fueling and testing of RPS • Transportation operations from DOE assembly site to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) • Remote operations at KSC prior to launch during Assembly Test and Launch Operations (ATLO) phase o Timing of the placement of the RPS onto spacecraft/rover o Off-normal operations at KSC

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

NASA NTRS1968

Advanced Mars orbiter and surveyor - A conceptual design by the NASA Space Technology Summer Institute

Design of advanced Mars exploration spacecraft

Thomson, W. T.↗

NASA NTRS1972

The development of a residential heating and cooling system using NASA derived technology

A study to determine the technical and economic feasibility of a solar-powered space heating, air-conditioning, and hot water heating system for residential applications is presented. The basic system utilizes a flat-plate solar collector to process incident solar radiation, a thermal energy storage system to store the collected energy for use during night and heavily overcast periods, and an absorption cycle heat pump for actually heating and cooling the residence. In addition, heat from the energy storage system is used to provide domestic hot water. The analyses of the three major components of the system (the solar collector, the energy storage system, and the heat pump package) are discussed and results are presented. The total system analysis is discussed in detail, including the technical performance of the solar-powered system and a cost comparison between the solar-powered system and a conventional system. The projected applicability of the system to different regions of the nation is described.

Oneill, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Technology transfer to a developing nation, Korea

An experimental project is reported which was undertaken. to determine if selected types of technology developed for the aerospace program during the past decade are relevant to specific industrial problems of a developing nation and to test whether a structured program could facilitate the transfer of relevant technologies. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology and the IIT Research Institute were selected as the active transfer agents to participate in the program. The pilot project was based upon the approach to the transfer of domestic technology developed by the NASA Technology Utilization Division and utilized the extensive data and technical resources available through the Space Agency and its contractors. This pilot project has helped to clarify some aspects of the international technology transfer process and to upgrade Korean technological capabilities.

Stone, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1972